1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the use of diphenylacetanilides which selectively bind to mammalian Neuropeptide receptors. It further relates to the use of these compounds and compositions containing these compounds in treating conditions related to an excess of neuropeptide Y such as feeding disorders and certain cardiovascular diseases.
2. Description of the Related Art
Neuropeptide Y, a peptide first isolated in 1982, is widely distributed in the central and peripheral neurons and is responsible for a multitude of biological effects in the brain and the periphery. Various animal studies have shown that activation of neuropeptide Y1 receptors is related to vasoconstriction, Wahlestedt et al Regul. Peptides, 13: 307-318 (1986), McCauley and Westfall, J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 261:863-868 (1992), and Grundemar et al Br. J. Pharmacol. 105:45-50 (1992); and to stimulation of consummatory behavior, Flood and Morley, Peptides, 10:963-966 (1989), Leibowitz and Alexander, Peptides, 12:1251-1260 (1991), and Stanley et al Peptides,.13:581-587 (1992).
Grundemar and Hakanson TIPS, May 1994 [Vol. 15], 153-159, state that, in animals, neuropeptide Y is a powerful stimulus of food intake, and an inducer of vasoconstriction leading to hypertension. They further point out that low levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) are associated with loss of appetite. These reports clearly indicate that compounds that inhibit the activity of this protein will reduce hypertension and appetite in animals.
EP0759441 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,337 report that physiological disorders caused by neuropeptide Y include:
disorders or diseases pertaining to the heart, blood vessels or the renal system, such as vasospasm, heart failure, shock, cardiac hypertrophy, increased blood pressure, angina, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, arrhythmia, peripheral vascular disease, and abnormal renal conditions such as impaired flow of fluid, abnormal mass transport, or renal failure; conditions related to increased sympathetic nerve activity for example, during or after coronary artery surgery, and operations and sugery in the gastrointestinal tract;
cerebral diseases and diseases related to the central nervous system, such as cerebral infarction, neurodegeneration, epilepsy, stroke, and conditions related to stroke, cerebral vasospasm and hemmorrhage, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and dementia;
conditions related to pain or nociception;
diseases related to abnormal gastrointenstinal motility and secretion, such as different forms of ileus, urinary incontinence, and Crohn's disease;
abnormal drink and food intake disorders, such as anorexia and metabolic disorders;
diseases related to sexual dysfunction and reproductive disorders;
conditions or disorders associated with inflammation;
respiratory diseases, such as asthma and conditions related to asthma and bronchoconstriction; and diseases related to abnormal hormone release, such as leutinizing hormone, growth hormone, insulin, and prolactin.
WO 96/14307 refers to substituted benzylamine derivatives which selectively bind to human neuropeptide Y1 receptors.